Edison plans to hire more police officers amid growing concern on crime, law enforcement coverage

EDISON – Edison Mayor Shirley Worthy said the city will budget for more police officers in the upcoming 2024-25 fiscal year amid concern over the increase in crime in the community.

In the process of recovering from its hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt, Edison has had to cut back on a number of city departments because it could no longer properly fund them. One of the victims of Edison’s financial woes is its police department.

For about a year, the city has operated with an understaffed department, and in that time it’s seen an uptick in crime. In October, the city began charging residents a monthly $14 law enforcement fee to help pay the chief and operate its police car and communication services without taking from the general fund.

While police officer positions have been advertised for about three months, city leaders reported at Edison’s June meeting that there’s been little response due to low pay and a lack of benefits offered.

At a special meeting in June, the city also implemented a curfew for people under 18 from midnight to 6 a.m.. Worthy said this was to keep young people off the streets at late hours.

The small town of Edison has not historically dealt with high crime levels, especially not violent crime involving guns, former Police Chief Walt Ingram said. He said the rise in this type of crime began after his time as police chief and as the department shrunk in size. It’s been ongoing for about two years.

In the last two months, there have been two reported shootings in Edison in the same area. The first happened two months ago, Calhoun County Sheriff Josh Hilton said, and involved a house being hit by bullets. The most recent report happened in the early hours of the morning on June 7 along Martin Luther King Jr. Drive when a man in his 50s was shot multiple times. Hilton said the man is recovering, but his office cannot release any more information as the investigation is ongoing. The Sheriff’s Department hasn’t released a suspect’s name.

The department is following several leads, and Hilton said he believes the investigation will close soon; however, he encouraged people with information to come forward to help with the investigation.

“There’s been a lot of street talk about who did it, but that isn’t enough to get somebody charged,” Hilton said.

Lacking law enforcement is not an issue solely experienced by Edison. Hilton said the entire county’s city police departments are operating with small staff numbers, as well as neighboring rural towns. The Sheriff’s Department has had to pick up the slack, especially during hours when city police are not working.

Ingram said Edison’s police department would benefit from hiring at least three full-time officers to support the police chief.

While the city’s budget allowing for new police hires is a bright spot, some residents feel disenchanted by the monthly fee they pay and the current law enforcement coverage it supports.

The Albany Herald conducted a survey in an Edison community Facebook group. The group acts as the main source for communication on what’s happening in the city.

The poll asked questions about community safety in Edison and allowed participants to answer anonymously. Of 13 respondents, about 64% reported that they overall feel safe in the city but are concerned about crime. Ninety percent of them reported that they do not feel the law enforcement fee is funding adequate coverage. Each participant said that changes in the police coverage and hours of operation are needed.

Police Chief Donald Bryant said he’s doing the best he can in responding to crime calls. There’s also a part-time officer working shifts the chief can’t cover.

“I’m working when I’m capable of working,” he said. “I have family, kids and grandkids. I do what I can when I’m by myself.”

Bryant said if he gets called to a scene, he goes.

“If I get some more help, I’d be more than happy,” he said.

But the chief said current officer pay and benefits offered by Edison make it hard to compete with other departments in the area. Bryant said he himself receives low pay. Currently, the city’s police department doesn’t provide insurance or a retirement fund.

Ingram said he understands how overwhelmed the chief must feel. He said it was challenging even as a department with five full-time officers. Ingram added that while he isn’t a fan of the monthly fee, he understands that it is the only way the city is funding the department.

Ingram said Edison’s one strength is a “nosy neighbor program.” The close-knit community is very in tune with the happenings within the city.

He said if community members get involved and speak up when they see something, it would put a stop to a lot of crime concerns.

Staff Photo: Lucille Lannigan
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